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Rosemary is one of the herbs that should not be missing in the kitchen. There are numerous varieties available that have different flavors. However, the varieties that come from the Mediterranean coastal areas are usually sensitive to cold. However, new breeds show a significantly higher frost resistance, so that they can overwinter in the garden. Which variety has what to offer is described below.
Hardy varieties
With the new varieties of Rosmarinus officinalis, an important focus has been placed on winter hardiness. While almost all herbs originating from the Mediterranean areas like warmth and can only tolerate temperatures above freezing, there are varieties today that can spend the winter in German herb and ornamental gardens at temperatures of over -20 °C.
Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis
The most popular hardy specimens include:
'arp'
- Distinctive scent of resin and incense
- Used, for example, in Italian cooking and for drying
- Due to the intense smell it is ideal for scented and ornamental gardens
- Very robust plant
- Hardy to -22 °C
'BlueWinter'
- Blue-green colored leaves
- Purple flowers tastefully complement any ornamental garden
- Intense, spicy aroma
- Good for seasoning grilled food
- Hardy to -20 °C
'Hill Hardy'
- American breeding
- Growth height up to 120 cm
- Resinous scent
- Light blue flowers
- Hardy to at least -20 °C
Punta di Canelle
- Italian vigorous variety
- Upright growing
- Slightly curved shoots
- Delicate fragrance aroma
- Temperatures down to -20 °C but only with fleece protection - otherwise a maximum of -12 °C
'Rex'
- Upright growing, robust variety
- Light blue flowers
- strong growth
- Resinous aroma
- Hardy to at least -20 °C
'Sudbury Blue'
- Spherical growth
- Growth height between 80 and 120 cm
- Medium blue flowers
- Very strong spicy aroma
- Suitable for hardiness zone 7a with between -15 °C and -17 °C with fleece
- without protection against the cold, however, up to a maximum of -12 °C
'Veitshochheim'
- Franconian breeding
- Slightly resinous aromas
- Hardy to -20 °C
- Slightly sick
'Weihenstephan'
- German breeding
- Grey-green foliage
- Fast growing
- Strong aroma
- Hardy down to around -15 °C
exceptions
Winter hardiness only refers to healthy, adult plants or rosemary with a well-developed root system. However, young plants and weakened specimens are much more sensitive to cold. If they have spent the summer outdoors, they should then be moved to a frost-free winter quarters at the latest in early/mid-October.
Hardy varieties
Often the terms "hardy" and "winter hard" are equated. However, there is a big one between them difference, which refers to a temperature difference of up to 16 °C within the minus range. While the hardy Rosmarinus officinalis can tolerate icy temperatures in the double-digit range, the temperature limit for hardy rosemary varieties is just in the single-digit minus range. Protection against the cold is recommended for some species even from freezing point.
The hardy specimens that survive at most in hardiness zone 9a with temperatures between -6.6 °C and -3.9 °C without protection against the cold include:
Varieties from A - C
'quit'
- Belgian breeding
- Scented of pine
- With protection against the cold, it can withstand temperatures down to -15 °C
'bluelip'
- Aromatic resinous-balsamic fragrance
- Compact growth
- With protection against the cold, it can withstand temperatures down to -15 °C
,Blue Lagoon'
- Strongly growing
- Intense, spicy fragrance
- Equally suitable for the kitchen and garden
- Growth height up to 90 cm
- With protection against the cold, it can withstand temperatures down to -12 °C
"Blue Rain"
- hanging plant
- Intense and spicy fragrance
- Winter hardiness zone 7 - 8, up to a maximum of -15 °C, but only with garden fleece
'boules'
- creeping variety
- Light blue flowers
- With protection against the cold, it can withstand temperatures down to -15 °C
'Corsican Blue'
- long-term flowering
- Steel blue flowers
- Hanging, compact growth
- Scent like spruce needles
- With protection against the cold, it can withstand temperatures down to -12 °C
Varieties from G - Z
'Gorizia'
- Silvery needles
- Tall up to 150 cm
- Brilliant blue-purple flowers
- Fresh aroma
- With protection against the cold, it can then withstand temperatures down to -10 °C
'haifa'
- Hanging and creeping plant
- Often used as ground cover in the garden
- Flower color: blue
- Beguiling scent
- Mediterranean flavor
- However, it is only winterproof down to a maximum of -5 °C
'Majorca Pink'
- Spanish origin
- Upright, columnar growth
- Growth height up to 50 cm
- Delicate branches
- Pink to amethyst flowers
- Strong spicy taste
- Withstands temperatures down to -12 °C, but only with appropriate protection against the cold
'Miss Jesopp' ('Pyramidalis')
- Coming from England
- Upright growth - perfect for pot planting
- Growth height between 50 and 60 cm
- Strongly scented
- Resinous flavors
- Withstands temperatures down to -12 °C with appropriate protection against the cold
'Primerly Blue'
- Upright growing variety ideal for cultivation in containers
- Blue-green needles
- Very fine, mild fragrance
- Narrow gray needles
- Withstands temperatures down to -12 °C, but only with appropriate protection against the cold
‚prostrate‚
- Vigorous variety
- Shallow to overhanging
- Growth height: up to 20 cm
- Mild fragrance
- Winterproof down to a maximum of -7 °C - beyond that it can only survive with protection against the cold
Winterproof only with protection against the cold
Frost-sensitive rosemary varieties usually overwinter at temperatures from 0 °C to 10 °C. Above all, the needles do not tolerate lower temperatures and react quickly with the first signs of frostbite. With appropriate protection against the cold, the following varieties can still spend the winter outdoors down to certain minus temperatures:
'Bolzano'
- Maximum growth height of 40 cm
- At the same time intense fragrance
- Abundant flowering in light blue color
- Winterproof down to -8 °C, but only with protection against the cold
'Cincango Muro'
- Compact growth
- Growth height up to 40 cm
- Lush green needles
- Very aromatic and slightly bitter
- Also only with protection against the cold, it tolerates temperatures down to a maximum of -5 °C
'Florence'
- Coming from Tuscany
- Vigorous growth
- Growth height up to 70 cm
- Light blue flowers
- Fine fragrance
- Winterproof down to -7 °C, but with protection against the cold
'Florence White'
- Even milder aromatic
- white flowers
'Florence Pink'
- Also mild fragrance
- Soft pink flowers
'fox tail'
- Growth height up to 100 cm
- Ideally suited as a traffic light plant
- Strong cola aroma
- Winterproof down to -7 °C, but with protection against the cold
,Shepherd'
- Upright growing
- Slow, sometimes creeping growth
- Growth height up to about 40 cm
- Winterproof down to a maximum of -8 °C, but only with protection against the cold
'Severn Sea'
- Expansive growth
- Dwarf to about 40 cm - ideal for pots in the kitchen
- Violet-blue flowers
- Fine, slightly spicy aroma
- Frost down to -5 °C, but only with protection
'Ulisée'
- Growth height up to 80 cm
- Dark blue flower
- Mild, resinous but slightly bitter aroma
- Down to -8 °C, but with protection
'Wilma's Gold'
- Golden yellow foliage
- Strongly growing
- Spicy, slightly resinous fragrance nuances
- Down to -8 °C, but with protection against the cold
'Santa Barbara'
- Creeping Rosemary
- Deep blue flowers
- Growth height about 30 cm
- Slightly bitter taste
- Down to -10 °C, but with protection against the cold
Frost-sensitive rosemary varieties
These varieties are suitable forfrost free areas. They should move from the field to a warmer area in early autumn, because the first frosty temperatures can already cause significant damage.
'Pine Rosemary' (Rosmarinus angustifolia)
- Growth height between 50 and 100 cm
- purple flowers
- The scent is reminiscent of pine trees
'Salem'
- Fast growing
- Robust
- Violet flowers
- Intensely spicy scent
